Clock



June 1935. A. F. BENSON 2,004,909

I CLOCK Filed April 16, 1952 ATTORNEYS.

Patented June 11, 1535 I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CLOCK Arthur F. Benson, Erie, Pa., assignor to American -Mete1; Company, New'York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application April 16, 1932, Serial No. 605,589

.6 Claims. (01. 58-46) In some locations it is necessary to have aclock. the passage 12 and leads to a pipe I4. The pipe As an example, it is necessary with orifice meters 14 leads to an inlet, or nozzle opening l from to drive the recording mechanism from a clock which the gas is discharged against the motor so that pressure differences may be recorded with wheel 2. The gas is discharged from the cham- 6 relation to time. An example of such a use is her by means of apassage 16 leading to an exhaust 5 indicated in the. patent to Connet and Jackson pipe, or discharge ll. #529,365, Nov. 20,1894. Where the record is one A reducing gear mechanism I8 is mounted bethat requires frequent renewals, or servicing the tween plates i9, these plates being connected by disadvantage is largely limited to the effort of pins 20. A gear 21 is fixed on the shaft .3. It ire-winding the clock. But where recording demeshes with a gear 22 arranged on a shaft 24. 10 vices which are capable of recording over consid- A pinion 25 is fixed on the shaft 24 and meshes erable periods of time are available the necessary with a gear 26. The gear 26 is fixed on a shaft servicing of the clock adds materially to the ex- 21 and a pinion 28 is arranged on this shaft. The pense. Many of these meters arranged in gas pinion meshes with a gear 29, the gear 29 being 16 lines are, of necessity, located at inconvenient fixed on a shaft 30. A pinion 30a is formed .in

places. The effort has been made to connect the shaft 30 and this pinion meshes withagear3l. these meter stations with a source of electric The ge 3| s u d on a shaft 1- A a 33 power with a definite time characteristic in the is fixed on the shaft 32 and meshes with a gear manner of ordinary le tri flo k h re r 34. The gear 34 is fixed on the sleeve 8. It will two general objections to such scheme. It inreadily be seen from this that the movement of 20 volves considerable expense, is not alwaysavailthe fluid-actuated motor wheel is communicated able and also increases the fire hazard, The through this gear reduction to the driving sleeve 8.. present invention is designed to provide a timing A ratchet W l 35 is fix n a h ad 8b of the device which may be driven by a fluid, such as ve 8. A Spring b el 35 is journaled on the gas in the line itself and the invention involves head 8!? a a ra t p wl 37 s ou ted on the in its details the eflicient control of such a clock. barrel a d n s e ratchet W eel 35. A Features and details of the invention will appear Spring 33 has e end secured to e barrel and from the specification and l i the other end to a head 39 on the end of the shaft A preferred b di t f t invention is In. A pin 40 projects into a slot M in the head 35 illustrated in the accompanying drawing as foland into an Op 42 111 the h h h 30 lows 39 has a limited movement relatively to the sleeve, Fig. 1 shows a section on the line l-I in Fig. 2. the mov being limited y a Pin 40 and slot Fig, 2 show ti on th line z z i Fi 1 4 I. This movement is sufilcient to move the valve Fig. 3 an enlarged section of the valve mecha- Passage 9 from p p s to clOSed p n i relatively to the ports to and H. 35

Fig. 4 an end view of the parts shown in Fig. 3. The spring s put under tial t ns n y turn- Fig. 5 a section on the line 5-5 in Fig. 3. ing the barrel and it is locked under this tension Fig. 6 a section of the valve structure, the secby the ratchet paw and this fOrmS a y e tion being similar to that of Fig. 5, but with the connection between the sleeve 8 and the shaft valve in a difierent position It. A gear 43 meshes with a pinion 44. The

Fi 7 Section on t line 1.. 1 1n 3, pinion 44 is carried by a shaft 45. The shaft marks t case Amotor chamberis arranged 45 carries an escapement wheel 46 on which an in the case and a. fluid motor wheel 2 is arranged escapemeni? anchor 47 acts- The anchor p a es in this chamber, The wheel is unted on a, the balance pawl connection 48 and this drives 45 shaft 3 journaled in a closure'plug 4, the plug the usual balance wheel 49 which is carried by closing th chamber, a shaft 50 on which is tied the hair spring 5|. Fluid, such as gas from the line is supplied y timing Element; escapement y be used through a pipe 5. It passes from the pipe 5 in o ect on with the device. through a port '6 into an nn lar passage A In the operation of the device, the tension of 50 port 8a arranged in a driving sleeve 8 connects the Spring 38 hOldS the Valve pa a 9 in egister with the annular passage 1. The port 8a is With the ports to and H. In other words, the adapted to be brought into register with port, control valve is wide open and the pin 40 is 10- or passage 9, extending along a driving shaft cated to accomplish this result. With gas turned p H1. The passage 9 is connected by a port II with into the pipe 5, it passes through the valve and an annular passage I2. A port l3 extends from into the fluid motor chamber and acts on the wheel 2 giving it a rotary motion. The wheel operating through the reducing gear mechanism and gear train drives the sleeve 8 and the sleeve acting through the spring drives the gear 43 and with it the clock escapement. The fluid actuated wheel is arranged to have an excess speed with a full open valve. The escapement prevents the movement of the gear 43 in full response to the speed of the fluid-actuated motor. As a result the sleeve 8 advances slightly, or rotates relatively to theishaft ID, the spring 38 permitting this relative movement. This movement of the sleeve 8 on the shaft l 0 gradually closes the valve so as to reduce the speed of the fluid actuated motor and bring it into step with the clock escapement mechanism. With any lag of the motor the valve is opened so as -to increase its speed-and in any excess speed of the motor the valve is closed so as to reduce its speed. So that there is a perfect control of the motor in step with the escapement mechanism.

Should the pressure in the line fail, the motor would stop. The spring 38 would continue to move the escapement until the pin 40 reached the end of the slot. At this point the effect of the spring would be neutralized. This brings the valve to wide open position. When the pressure comes on again the motor will start and the response will be as above described. Should the escapement fail, the retarding at this point will complete the closure of the valve and shut off the motor. r

I have designated this invention as a clock. This is the term usually used for the instrument for driving registering devices in which instrument the clock does not indicate to the ordinary observer any definite time. While this device may be used and have merely driving hands' through which time may be read, it will be understood that ordinarily it is used to drive some instrument .which is to be time-controlled by the escapementthe use of the fluid motor easily permitting sufficient power to drive many types of instrument which from an ordinary springwound clock, for instance, would be impractical.

What I claim as new is:-

1. In a clock, the combination of a time controlling escapement; means driving the escapement comprising a fluid-actuated motor; and devices controlled by the action of the escapement relatively to the motor controlling the rate of flow of fluid to the motor to maintain the speed of the motor in conformity with the speed of the escapement.

2. In a clock, the combination of a time controlling escapement; means driving the escapement comprising a'fluid-actuated motor; means delivering fluid under pressure to the motor; a control valve for the means: and devices responsive to the action of the escapement relatively to the motor controlling the valve to control the rate of flow to the motor to maintain the speed of the motor in conformity with the speed of the escapement.

3. In a clock, the combination of a time controlling escapement; means driving the escapement comprising a fluid-actuated motor; a yielding driving connection between the'motor and the escapement; means supplying fluid under pressure to the motor; and a valve responding to the action of the yielding connection and controlling the supply means to vary the rate of flow to the motor to maintain the speed of the motor in conformity with the speed of the escapement.

4. In a clock, the combination of a time controlling escapement; a fluid-actuated motor; a driving connection between the motor and the escapement comprising a sleeve and shaft, one of them being connected to the escapement and the other to the motor, said sleeve and shaft having valve ports opened and closed by relative rotative movement of the sleeve and shaft; a yielding connection between the sleeve and shaft; and means supplying fluid under pressure to the motor controlled by said valve.

5. In a clock, the combination of a time controlling escapement; a fluid-actuated motor; a driving connection between the motor and the escapement comprising a sleeve and shaft, one u of them being connected to the escapement and the other to the motor, said sleeve and shaft having valve ports opened and closed by relative rotative movement of the sleeve and shaft; a yielding connection between the sleeve and'shaft; means limiting the relative rotative movement or the sleeve'and shaft; and means supplying fluid under pressure to the motor controlled by said valve.

ii. In a clock, the combination of a time controlled escapement; a motor; a reduction gear mechanism on which the motor operates; a sleeve and shaft connection between the gear reduction mechanism and the escapement, said sleeve and shaft having valve ports opened and. closed by the relative movement of said sleeve and shaft; a supply connection including ports leading to the motor; a spring connection between the shaft and sleeve; means for holding the spring under tension; means for limiting the relative movement of the shaft and sleeve; and means operating the escapement through the yielding connec- 

